IPTransport

IPTransport is a term used in networking to describe the process and services involved in moving Internet Protocol packets from one network location to another. It is not a single protocol but a function that spans routing, forwarding, and the transport of application data over IP networks. IPTransport encompasses the mechanisms by which data is encapsulated into IP packets, addressed, and delivered across diverse network topologies, including local area networks, metropolitan networks, and the global internet. It applies to both IPv4 and IPv6 and underpins common communications such as web, email, and streaming.

Technologies and methods used for IP transport include IP over Ethernet, IP over MPLS, and IP over SDH/SONET, as well as wireless IP transport. Inter-domain routing typically relies on BGP to exchange reachability information, while intra-domain routing uses OSPF or IS-IS. Carrier-grade IP transport services are often marketed as IP transit or IP backbone connectivity, providing routes between customer networks and internet exchanges with service-level agreements.

Within enterprise or service provider networks, IPTransport arrangements may include MPLS-based traffic engineering, VPNs such as IPsec or GRE, and tunneling to meet scalability or security requirements. Quality of service and performance guarantees address latency, jitter, and packet loss, and are managed through traffic engineering, rate limiting, and congestion management.

From a security perspective, IPTransport requires protections against IP spoofing, DDoS, and eavesdropping, with solutions such as encryption, access controls, and distributed denial-of-service mitigation. Operationally, IP transport teams monitor performance, manage routing policies, and ensure compatibility with IPv4/IPv6 addressing, NAT, and firewall implementations.